Google took down over 700000 bad Android apps in 2017

Orville Steele

In August past year, Google had to remove 300 apps from the Play Store, which hid the WireX botnet malware and used the devices they installed to generate a wide-scale distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on other web services, causing loss of revenue and data.

That number was up 70 percent compared to 2016, but 99 percent of those apps were removed before anyone could install them. When Google says that automation is "aiding the human reviewers in effectively detecting and enforcing on the problematic apps", we believe this change of tack could perhaps be the most crucial bit.

Ahn says PHAs are generally very rare but claims that with the launch of the Google Play Protect service in mid-2017, Google has reduced the rate of PHA installations by a factor of 10 compared to 2016.

Despite all the security measures, initiatives, app scanners and AI driven algorithm, some malicious apps always make to Google Play, and Google is also aware of it.

Last year, Google put all of its malware scanning and detection technologies under the umbrella of Google Play Protect. In 2017, Google took down more than a quarter of a million of impersonating apps.

Knicks Looking To Move On From Joakim Noah
Noah had played just 96 total games over the previous two seasons, with his productivity and athleticism declining along the way. He left the team on Thursday and, according to ESPN, is waiting to hear from the Knicks on when - or if - he should return.

Google also explains how it differentiates bad app or actors on its platform.

This news today is part of a larger shift I've seen over how Google handles Android.

Google was able to do that through machine learning created to weed out apps with inappropriate content, malware and copycats, Andrew Ahn, the Google Play product manager, said in the blog post.

Inappropriate content: Apps that promote pornography, extreme violence, hate, and illegal activities. More than 2 billion Android devices in the world rely on apps, whether it's ordering a pizza or trying to catch Pokemon in real life. They offered together 5.6 million apps for German users. Other malicious apps that Google removed included those called PHAs. These are malware scanning, application monitoring for rogue behavior, the ability to remotely locate, lock, and optionally wipe your device, and warnings about dodgy sites, which try to feed you malware or trick you out of personal information. Basically, through the use of improved AI, the company has been able to provide more protections for Android users. And finally, of the 100,000 developers who got the boot, Google said that they made it more hard for them to create new accounts and go back through the process of trying to post evil apps. If there's a fix that requires a newer OS, you're stuck. Google said it had taken down more than 250,000 copycat apps in 2017. "Now that Google Play has reached critical mass, we've definitely shifted gears to focus on building a trusted and safe store".

Share this:

Hot News

Indian equities open higher, trade at fresh highestJan 30, 2018 - 01:52
On the day 1 of the budget session, finance minister Arun Jaitley will present the Economic Survey 2018 before the parliament . In 2017-18, services, industry and agriculture sectors are likely to grow at the rate of 8.3%, 4.4% and 2.1%, respectively.

Some in GOP heed call to return Wynn money, post-allegationsJan 30, 2018 - 01:49
A spokesman for the party said it will donate the $10,000 to "organizations that help victims of sexual harassment and abuse". Wynn's stock was still up 1.72% year-to-date. "It is deplorable for anyone to find themselves in this situation", Wynn said .

Apple's iPhone SE sequel reportedly won't be a big revampJan 30, 2018 - 01:42
Additionally both the iPhone X Plus and the 5.6 inch model will have 4GB of RAM, more than the 2017 iPhone X which only has 3GB. The iPhone X Plus is also expected to have up to a 25 per cent larger battery capacity of 3300-3400mAh.

95 dead in car bomb near embassies in KabulJan 30, 2018 - 01:39
An attacker driving an ambulance packed with explosives detonated them Saturday in the Afghan capital of Kabul . According to the Afghan news agency TOLO, 11 military personnel were killed in the assault.

Kendrick Lamar takes lead at rap-heavy GrammysJan 29, 2018 - 11:10
Kesha, who earned her first pair of Grammy nominations this year, has been in a legal war with former producer and mentor Dr. Less expected was a win for Philadelphia band The War On Drugs for "A Deeper Understanding", released in August 2017.

San Jose will host 2019 NHL All-Star GameJan 29, 2018 - 11:02
But if you want to enter the address into your Google maps app, the exact address is 601 Channelside Drive. "Our guys did a good job to up the tempo".

US, South Korea, Look to Diplomacy to Tame Kim Jong UnJan 29, 2018 - 11:00
North and South Korea remain in a technical state of war, since their 1950s conflict ended in an armistice, not a peace treaty. The talks are seen as an important step as it is the first time the North and South have been in dialogue in around two years.

Man dies after getting sucked into MRI machine at Mumbai HospitalJan 29, 2018 - 10:53
Even heavier objects such as an office chair, for instance, can be slowly sucked into a MRI machine, as an online video shows. During the process, the patient is placed inside the MRI machine and must stay very still to prevent the image from blurring.

AMBER Alert Issued for 4-Year-Old North Carolina BoyJan 28, 2018 - 00:59
The Amber Alert issued for Raul Johnson said the boy was last seen on Village Drive, walking toward Crestline Road in Laurinburg. Hundreds of people joined in the search of the area near the boy's home this week and a pond was drained during the search.

Senate panel to launch Trump Jr. transcriptJan 28, 2018 - 00:58
But Feinstein said Thursday that the committee should still hold public hearings with Kushner and Trump Jr. Feinstein denies the insinuation and has faulted Grassley for failing to subpoena Manafort's testimony.

Releasing the Memo Would Be 'Extraordinarily Reckless'Jan 28, 2018 - 00:58
They didn't weave a dark tale of a sinister, hidden conspiracy coursing through the government trying to bring the president down. Democrats contend it is part of an ongoing effort to discredit the investigation into Trump world and Russian meddling.